Looking at the Weekend: Feb. 23-25, 2018

Any movie releasing this week will have to accept being at least second to Black Panther. Of the three wide releases, only two of them really have a shot at being the week’s top opening. Annihilation‘s best chance comes with sci-fi audiences hungry for fascinating and dangerous adventures. Game Night hopes to act as counter-programming to Black Panther as a comedy. I’m giving the edge to R-rated Game Night.

Our Highest Rated Films: Annihilation
Our Best Awards Ratings: Annihilation (Oscars), Hannah (Oscars)

OTHER LIMITED RELEASES

The Cured
Survivors Guide to Prison

Feb. 23-25, 2018
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Annihilation (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	8.3 Wesley Lovell: (8) Peter J. Patrick: (8) Tripp Burton: (10) Thomas LaTourrette: (7)	2.8 Wesley Lovell: (8,Oscars) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (3,Oscars) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: Picture (WL,TB) Director (WL,TB) Actress (WL) Adapted Screenplay (WL,TB) Original Score (WL) Film Editing (WL,TB) Cinematography (WL,TB) Production Design (WL,TB) Sound Mixing (WL,TB) Sound Editing (WL,TB) Visual Effects (WL,TB)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): I still need to see Ex Machina, but this has a lot of fascinating elements to it that may be worth seeing. Peter J. Patrick (PP): If Alex Garland’s latest is half as good as Ex Machina, it should be worth catching. Tripp Burton (TB): After Ex Machina I’m open to whatever Alex Garland has to offer, and this looks like a fabulous follow up. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This could be an interesting film, providing it does not get too carried away with its special effects and keeps a good story. It is an intriguing trailer.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Every Day (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.3 Wesley Lovell: (7) Peter J. Patrick: (4) Tripp Burton: (4) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): As much as I loathe teen romantic dramas, something about this concept is intriguing to me, especially if it also has a social commentary mixed in. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Asinine premise, but who knows? It could work if carried out with aplomb. Tripp Burton (TB): A cool idea, but the film looks fairly generic from the trailer. Thomas LaTourette (TL): The premise of this film is fascinating, an entity waking up in a different body every day. It is adapted from a young adult novel and I worry that it will be aimed only at that age group.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Game Night (Wide Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.5 Wesley Lovell: (10) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Tripp Burton: (4) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): The first trailer hooked me and the idea thrills me, so I can’t wait to see it. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Interesting premise which could be intriguing if done well and the gore in the trailer is kept to a minimum. Tripp Burton (TB): I love this concept, but the trailer has left me cold every time I’ve seen it. Thomas LaTourette (TL): It’s not a bad cast, but I worry that the best jokes will have already been shown in the trailer.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Curvature (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	5.5 Wesley Lovell: (6) Peter J. Patrick: (4) Tripp Burton: (6) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): The execution doesn’t look great, but the concept is at least interesting. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Dullish looking time-travel thriller may have possibilities, but they seem limited in the trailer. Tripp Burton (TB): This could be really interesting. Thomas LaTourette (TL): It could be a fun science fiction film, or it might not be any better than an episode of Timeless on NBC.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Death House (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	2.5 Wesley Lovell: (3) Peter J. Patrick: (2) Tripp Burton: (3) Thomas LaTourrette: (2)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): As much as I love ’80s horror, I’m not sure rehasing the past in such a hamfisted way is that appealing. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Another week, another brainless horror film. No thanks. Tripp Burton (TB): This horror mashup looks as generic as that title. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I think this will be too over the top gory for me, though the premise sounded interesting at the beginning.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Hannah (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	6.5 Wesley Lovell: (7) Peter J. Patrick: (7) Tripp Burton: (6) Thomas LaTourrette: (6)	2.0 Wesley Lovell: (6,Oscars) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (2,Oscars)	Categories: Actress (WL,TL)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): The material looks a bit dreary, but Charlotte Rampling looks astounding. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Charlotte Rampling’s performance won the Best Actress award at Venice which is enough for me to want to see it. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks like a great vehicle for Charlotte Rampling and worth seeking out just for that. Thomas LaTourette (TL): Charlotte Rampling will probably be amazing in this, but the film looks and sounds very dour and depressing.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
The Lodgers (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	2.8 Wesley Lovell: (2) Peter J. Patrick: (2) Tripp Burton: (4) Thomas LaTourrette: (3)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): A stuffy old haunted house film. Nothing new to see here. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Another low budgeted horror film. No thanks. Tripp Burton (TB): A lot of horror films this weekend and this looks like maybe the best of them. Thomas LaTourette (TL): This Gothic horror film looks to get too caught up in being gory than interesting.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
November (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	3.8 Wesley Lovell: (1) Peter J. Patrick: (8) Tripp Burton: (2) Thomas LaTourrette: (4)	1.5 Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (6,Oscars) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: Foreign Film (PP)
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Quirky in a not terribly appealing way. Peter J. Patrick (PP): This ASC Spotlight award winner looks intriguing, a romantic horror fantasy done right. Tripp Burton (TB): This looks completely unappealing. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I found the trailer perplexing rather than intriguing, so I do not know what to expect from this one.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
Operation Red Sea (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	2.5 Wesley Lovell: (0) Peter J. Patrick: (5) Tripp Burton: (2) Thomas LaTourrette: (3)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): Weak looking war drama. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Hong Kong actioner set during Operation Desert Storm looks oddly like a throwback to films about WWII. Tripp Burton (TB): I can’t tell what this movie is trying to do, but it doesn’t look like it is doing it in any sort of interesting way. Thomas LaTourette (TL): If watching the Chinese navy’s elite team blow things up for over two hours, this might be for you. Others probably should skip it.
Film	Our Thoughts	Awards Chances
The Young Karl Marx (Limited Release) See the original CinemaSight Trailer & Poster Preview	4.0 Wesley Lovell: (2) Peter J. Patrick: (6) Tripp Burton: (3) Thomas LaTourrette: (5)	Nil Wesley Lovell: (Nil) Peter J. Patrick: (Nil) Tripp Burton: (Nil) Thomas LaTourrette: (Nil)	Categories: None
	Individual Commentary:
	Wesley Lovell (WL): A dry biopic, even on an important topic, is still dry. Peter J. Patrick (PP): Early reviews have been mixed, but this looks like an interesting biopic of the kind we don’t see much any more. Tripp Burton (TB): A bland looking biopic, which is disappointing coming from Raoul Peck. Thomas LaTourette (TL): I often like historical biopics, but nothing about this one really interested me.